Natural Sustainable Construction Materials

August 7th, 2018

I’m truly passionate about sustainability. It’s at the core of our ethos at Hugo Carter, and something I try and champion in my everyday life. I feel we have a duty to the planet to respect the resources we have, and in this modern age, we don’t really have an excuse for being ignorant of our effects on the climate and global environment.

Working with a lot of construction companies, I’ve noticed that a lot of them will simply plum for the most cost-effective options without considering sustainability, or carbon reduction. This has increasingly become the case as the demand for affordable housing has blossomed in recent years.

When talking about eco-friendly construction materials we have so many factors to consider, such as how they’re made, how far they have to travel, how long they will last. But these are factors often overlooked by large construction companies who just want to use whatever is more convenient for them.

My Top Five Favourites

Below are inventive and interesting green materials that can be used in the construction of properties, which will not only contribute to a carbon footprint reduction but also new ways of thinking about construction.

Solar Tiles

The manufacturing of traditional clay or concrete tiles is very energy intensive, and when they’re installed they merely sit there as a layer of protection. With solar tiles, you get all the protective qualities of traditional tiles with the added bonus of green, renewable energy production for your property!

Cork

An easily sustainable material, we get most of this country’s cork from Portugal, so it doesn’t have too far to travel. It’s a long-lasting green alternative for a variety of construction materials such as bricks.

Bamboo

Once only considered for holding up your tomato plants, bamboo is a cost-effective material which grows back extremely rapidly and can be used to really cool effect in flooring and walls.

Paper Insulation

Simple to install, paper insulation is a combination of recycled newspapers and cardboard. A green alternative to chemical fillers, it’s as thermally efficient, fire retardant and insect resistant.

Rubber

Recycled from old car tires, or simply harvested from a sustainable rubber tree plantation, rubber can be turned into really high quality, durable flooring for properties.

Have any other examples of great renewable materials to be used in construction? Let me know if the comments below!

Image by Darwin Bell

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